“But we’re the entitled snowflakes”: Cyclists baffled as right-wing group calls for Elon Musk DOGE-style clampdown on “unethical” cycling and walking charity and its “taxpayer-funded, deeply undemocratic restrictions on motorists” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Safety in numbers”: Electric scooter schemes reduce cyclist collisions by 20%, new study suggests
A new study suggests that electric scooter schemes appear to reduce the risk of cycling collisions by around 20 per cent, as University of Bristol researchers stated their findings “support the ‘safety in numbers’ hypothesis” that people become safer as the number of micromobility transport users increases.
Read more: > “Safety in numbers”: Electric scooter schemes reduce cyclist collisions by 20%, new study suggests
UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery scrap Track Champions League after four years, as part of plans to “revitalise” Track Nations Cup… by restoring its old World Cup name
The UCI Track Champions League is no more, as the UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery announced this morning that the format’s ill-fated grand finale in London last December was its last hurrah, as the governing body revealed plans to “revitalise” the Track Nations Cup from 2026.
The four-round Track Champions League was first introduced by the UCI in 2021, in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, in a bid to offer a glitzier, shorter, more easily understood track cycling format for new fans, complete with snappy, condensed, exciting races, primetime broadcasting schedules, and dazzling pre-race lights shows.
(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
The 2024 edition, however, was somewhat overshadowed by Katy Marchant’s horrendous crash over the barriers and into the crowd during the final round in London’s Lee Valley Velodrome, which saw that night’s racing, and effectively the whole series, called off early.
And after four years of the Champions League, and with a new Olympic cycle underway ahead of LA ’28, Warner Bros. Discovery has told the UCI that it is ditching the series to “redefine its involvement in the promotion of track cycling” by putting its weight behind the Track Nations Cup.
This means that, starting from 2026, the Track Nations Cup will be renamed the UCI Track World Cup (incidentally, the title the series held, with a few variations, between its establishment in 1993 and the last track cycling reorganisation project in 2021).
The World Cup, or Nations Cup, plays a crucial role in qualification for the Olympics, and it appears that the UCI and WBD are seeking to merge the TV-friendly character of the Champions League with the serious competition aspect of the old World Cup.
According to the UCI, from next year, the World Cup will consist of three rounds and feature the main Olympic events, plus the elimination race, and will be broadcast across Europe on Discovery.
(Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)
“I would firstly like to acknowledge the involvement of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports in organising and promoting the UCI Track Champions League over the past four years,” UCI president David Lappartient, recovering from his IOC defeat last week, said in a statement.
“This event has helped to promote track cycling like never before. With the continuation of our collaboration, which over the next three years will focus on coverage of the UCI Track World Cup, I am confident that track cycling will continue to grow in popularity, leading up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and beyond.”
Meanwhile, the VP of cycling events at WBD Sports Europe, Chris Ball (a popular guy with UK cycling fans at the moment), said: “Track cycling is an incredible spectacle and, as we look ahead to track cycling in Los Angeles 2028, we are delighted to continue our partnership with the UCI, broadcasting world-class men’s and women’s action from the velodromes, such as the UCI Track World Cup for the first time – in addition to our unrivalled road cycling and mountain bike offering – to millions of fans across the world.”
“Did he get a free dental programme with that wheel?”
Is this radial spoked, radial disc contraption, bought for a few quid at a car boot sale, the scariest front wheel you’ve ever seen?
That looks… fun…
“Just consider the road layouts that squeeze out motorists in favour of others. Roads are being narrowed to minimums. This is happening on our watch”
> Cycling projects ‘squeezing out motorists in favour of cyclists’, Conservative councillor claims during “fierce” debate over controversial cycle lane
“Next year, Cipressa under eight minutes?” Mathieu van der Poel (jokingly) throws down gauntlet to Tadej Pogačar for 2026 after epic Milan-Sanremo battle
Well, Saturday was a half-decent day for bike racing, wasn’t it?
First up, the first women’s Sanremo in two decades didn’t disappoint. In a frenetic finale, the greatest sprinter of her generation Lorena Wiebes duly outsprinted a small group containing the best cyclists in the world to win, after her domestique deluxe/world champion SD Worx teammate Lotte Kopecky shut down a brilliant, do or die attack by Italian champ Elisa Longo Borghini – as well as the hopes and dream of an entire nation – in the final few hundred metres.
(And for all your Sanremo naysayers out there, I’m willing to bet that the women’s Primavera will only get better and better over the next few years – especially once Demi Vollering realises where the top of the Poggio is, anyway.)
And then, later in the afternoon, there was the men’s race.
UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogačar ripping up three decades worth of Sanremo scripts to blow the race apart on the Cipressa with over 20km to go. Those relentless, blistering attacks from the world champion.
Mathieu van der Poel’s dogged determination, mouth agape, visibly struggling, to answer everything Pogačar threw at him. Filippo Ganna’s superb, steady response of his own, locked in his own world, driving his way back into contention, even at the death.
Van der Poel’s nonchalant bottle grab on the Poggio. The Dutchman’s resolute attack near the top. That chaotic three-up sprint. The pure drama of it all.
Saturday’s Milan-Sanremo was a race for the ages – only Gerald Ciolek’s 2013 victory in biblical, brutal conditions really rivals it in the modern era of La Classicissima – and one brilliantly indicative of this wonderful, enthralling, golden generation of bike racing we’re currently watching.
And it could potentially change how Sanremo is raced for the foreseeable future. Pogačar’s attack on the Cipressa – despite failing on a personal level – showed that the days of waiting for the Poggio are over, that long-range attacking verve can triumph along the classical constraints of the Italian Riviera.
That first race-winning move to go on the Cipressa since the mid-1990s also, unsurprisingly, smashed the record set by Gabriele Colombo on the four per cent climb in 1996, Pogačar, Van der Poel, and Ganna’s mind-boggling 8.45 on Saturday blowing away Colombo’s previous best mark of 9.19.
And, if you believe Van der Poel and Pogačar’s banter over on Instagram, we could be in for an even bigger treat this time next year…
“Congrats Mathieu and Filippo. Glad to share the podium with such legends, but don’t be fooled, I will be back for more with an amazing team, who did a superb job keeping me safe, leading me out, changing my clothes and feeding me,” the world champion wrote on Instagram yesterday.
“Couldn’t ask for better atmosphere these days, thank you boys, on to the next goals.”
“Near year Cipressa under eight minutes?” Van der Poel cheekily replied in the comments.
“I am analysing right now, we can go a bit faster. Like 59 seconds,” Pogačar shot back.
And with the world champ hell bent on adding that elusive Sanremo title to his list of monument triumphs, I really wouldn’t put it past him next March…
Flanders in two weeks – or MVDP v Pogi II – is going to be very fun, indeed.
Drum and Bass on the Bike hits London
In scenes that will no doubt enrage a certain brand of ‘anti-authoritarian’ conspiracy theorist, hundreds of cyclists jumped on their bikes and rode through the streets of London yesterday, as Dom Whiting’s two-wheeled, outdoor rave took over the capital once again…
Today. British DJ Dom Whiting brings a rolling rave to the streets of London with his world-touring ‘Drum & Bass on the Bike’ event. Hundreds of bikers, skaters and runners turned out to ride through Central London to blaring DnB. Always a blast to shoot this one. 📸
— Jamie Bellinger (@jamiebellinger.com) March 23, 2025 at 8:50 PM
… Oh, and London’s most famous feline bike passenger Sigrid (of Travis and Sigrid internet fame) even had a go on the decks herself:
Everyone showed up to go on a biker ride with Sigrid. 😺😂 pic.twitter.com/1N5yPlFG5p
— Travis and Sigrid (@sigirides) March 23, 2025
If a more ‘cycling Twitter’ video exists, I’ve yet to see it.
A 70g power meter with tool-free installation for £115? What’s the catch?
BikeOn says its CycleClick power meter will attach to your bike chain in seconds without tools and provide accuracy comparable to a high-end device at a pre-launch price of just US$149. So, what exactly is going on here?
> A 70g power meter with tool-free installation for £115? What’s the catch?
Sum up Filippo Ganna’s Milan-Sanremo performance in one image
“A chance to win Paris-Roubaix in the rainbow jersey is worth the risk”: Ex-pro Tom Danielson backs Tadej Pogačar to race Hell of the North, as UAE Team Emirates say decision will be made “in two or three days”
After yet another excruciating near miss for Tadej Pogačar at Milan-Sanremo – the monument that looks set to haunt the world champion until he finally cracks it – UAE Team Emirates’ attention now turns to the upcoming cobbled classics campaign… and, more specifically, to the question that’s dominated the cycling gossip pages all year.
Will Pogačar finally make his debut at Paris-Roubaix?
Last month, the Slovenian superstar set tongues wagging by posting a video of himself training on the jagged cobbles of the Arenberg Forest, the Hell of the North’s most infamous sector, during a surprise recon with domestique deluxe Tim Wellens.
However, after his high-speed crash at Strade Bianche a few weeks ago (which didn’t stop him winning, of course), Pogačar’s team boss Mauro Gianetti warned his rider against taking to the start line in Compiègne, arguing that Paris-Roubaix “can be too dangerous” and that a bad crash on the cobbles could “jeopardise” his bid for a fourth Tour de France.
However, speaking after Pogačar’s third-place finish in Sanremo, Gianetti was a little more receptive to the idea of a Hell of the North debut and another showdown with Mathieu van der Poel.
“The goal was to ride Milan-Sanremo and then we’d calmly make a decision on Paris-Roubaix and look to the future,” the UAE Team Emirates manager told Cyclingnews. “In the next two or three days we’ll decide.”
One former pro backing Pogačar to take on Paris-Roubaix’s brutal cobbles in the rainbow jersey is Tom Danielson, the ex-Discovery Channel and Garmin stage racer, who says riding the Hell of the North will enable the Slovenian to eek out as much of his classics form as possible – and reckons the dangers of the race haven’t even crossed the Slovenian’s mind.
“I think Pogačar will race Paris-Roubaix,” the American wrote on Twitter last night.
“My guess, and it is a guess, is that he wants to fully capitalise on the commitment he has put into training for the classics. While it looks like he just shows up and races well at these races, months and months of training specifically has gone into this focus this season.
“Second, I believe he wants to win Paris-Roubaix in the rainbow jersey. There is no guarantee he will have it for next season so the time to try is now.
“As for the danger, I don’t think that is on his mind. Every race is dangerous as we saw last year in Pays Basque and this year in Paris-Nice.
“In fact, every ride is dangerous as we saw with Remco on his training ride. I would guess this is his perspective and for that a chance to win this iconic race in the rainbow jersey is worth the risk.”
We’ll soon see…
Trek president John Burke pens open letter to former bike race organiser Donald Trump “offering advice as an outsider” and instructing the US president to “tell the truth”
Speaking of odd, tangential links between cycling and the current US government, Trek’s CEO John Burke has, for some reason, penned an open letter to Donald Trump, offering advice to the US president “as an outsider” on everything from government restructuring and economics to foreign policy and honesty.
Interestingly, in the open letter Burke avoids talking too much – or at all – about bikes or cycling. Nope, not even a brief mention of the Tour de Trump.
Anyway, here’s a brief snippet of what Mr Burke had to say to Mr Trump in his letter posted, naturally, on LinkedIn.
“Dear Mr. President, I care about our country, and I hope that you are successful in your second term,” he wrote.
“These are extraordinary times. Your presidency is crucial to the future of America and to the future of the world. I want to be part of the solution and have come to the conclusion that perhaps I could be most helpful to you by offering advice as an outsider on a monthly basis. After closely following your first 6 weeks in office, here is my advice…”
Reflecting on “why great government matters”, Burke said Trump is to be “commended for being the first President to shake up the U.S. Government since Teddy Roosevelt”.
“However, the problem, viewed from the outside, is that it appears that you are ‘tearing up’ the government without a real plan,” he continued, urging Trump to be specific about his process and “desired outcomes”.
Unlike #Together, Burke doesn’t reckon DOGE “will get the job done” when it comes to fixing the United States’ perilous economic situation, instead urging Trump to “change course” and “bring fiscal sanity back to our country”.
He also called on the former stage race organiser to “be the peacemaker, not the bully” in foreign affairs, while advising him to “tell the truth” (easier said than done). Meanwhile, Burke instructed Trump to “not forget” about the threat of nuclear war and the environment (which would have been a good point to mention cycling, but maybe he didn’t want to make it look like he was just trying to flog bikes).
“Your chances of success and becoming one of the most consequential Presidents in American history could increase dramatically if you take these five pieces of advice. I wish you all the best,” the incredibly humble Trek president signed off.
Alright, I think that’s enough Trump, Elon, and Doge references for one day…
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the… peloton, apparently
One of my favourite races of the season, the Volta a Catalunya, is underway this afternoon, as Primož Roglič looks to hone his form ahead of his Giro-Tour double attempt this summer and Egan Bernal returns to racing following his crash at the Clásica Jaén last month.
And it looks like the mountainous week-long stage race is carrying on the proud March 2025 tradition, seen already at Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, and the start of Milan-Sanremo, of grim, grim weather conditions:
Delightful.
“After the crash I was dizzy”: Jonas Vingegaard reveals he suffered concussion after Paris-Nice crash
Another week, another debate about professional cycling’s questionable approach to concussion protocols.
In the wake of his race-ending crash at Paris-Nice earlier this month, which saw him leave the race the following morning with a bruised thumb and busted lip, Jonas Vingegaard has admitted that he suffered clear concussion symptoms, despite carrying on and finishing the stage.
“After the crash I was dizzy, and after the stage I got very nauseous and was incredibly tired, which continued for the next several days,” Vingegaard told Danish newspaper B.T.
“I’m happy to be back on the bike, even though it took a little longer than hoped due to my concussion, which required a lot of rest.”
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
And with his crash at the Race to the Sun, ruling him out of this week’s Volta a Catalunya (paving the way for Matthew Brennan’s call up and spectacular stage victory today), the two-time Tour de France winner admits he doesn’t yet know when he’ll return to racing before June’s Critérium du Dauphine, the final tune-up before the Tour.
“Right now we’re taking it day by day and letting the rehabilitation determine whether we need to make further changes or additions to my programme,” he said.
Nevertheless, Visma-Lease a Bike director Frans Maassen revealed yesterday that a revised race plan, including either the Tour of the Basque Country or the Tour de Romandie, could be in the works.
“We had a good conversation with Jonas last Friday, where we gave him some options,” Maassen told Feltet.DK.
“We didn’t want to make a decision immediately after the crash, even though we could have, but we felt it was better for everyone to take an extra moment to think. We will make a final decision within the next couple of weeks.”
“A massive opportunity to make roads safer”: Police reveal councils don’t currently have access to close pass data, as cyclist urges forces and local authorities to work together
Should councils have access to police close pass data in order to assist in planning and implementing infrastructure to make the roads safer?
That is the question one cyclist has posed after discovering that his local council cannot currently look at information such as close pass reports made to the area’s police force.
Read more: > “A massive opportunity to make roads safer”: Police reveal councils don’t currently have access to close pass data, as cyclist urges forces and local authorities to work together
“I just had to go full gas”: British teenage sensation Matthew Brennan secures astonishing, last-gasp victory at Volta a Catalunya, chasing down late attacker Tibor Del Grosso and riding Kaden Groves off his wheel in heroic sprint
British cycling – hell, world cycling – has found its latest superstar.
19-year-old Matthew Brennan’s start to life as a pro with Visma-Lease a Bike has been the stuff of dreams. Following up a second place at the Tour Down Under with two wins for the Dutch squad’s development team, the teenager from Darlington bagged a breakthrough professional victory at the GP Denain last week.
And this afternoon, he cemented his status as one of the sport’s brightest young talents with a sensational victory on the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya, seeing off the Alpecin-Deceuninck duo of Tibor Del Grosso and Kaden Groves with a display of incredible strength and coolness on a chaotic, difficult run-in to Sant Feliu de Guíxols.
On the wet, treacherous descent back into town, Alpecin’s 21-year-old cyclocross star Del Grosso slipped away seemingly undetected in the final 2km.
Brennan, alert near the front of the bunch, was the only rider able to make it past the Alpecin wall that formed in the wake of Del Grosso’s silent attack, as Groves jumped on the British rider’s wheel and stayed clamped to it as his teammate forged on up ahead.
However, as they entered the long, stinging drag to the line, it looked for all the world that Del Grosso had it in the bag, an almost frame for frame replay of Nick Schultz’s surprise win over Tadej Pogačar on the same finish last year.
But despite being stranded in no man’s land and with Groves playing the perfect team role on his wheel, as Primož Roglič set the pace in the bunch behind, Brennan stayed cool, keeping a steady tempo as the road ramped up before launching his sprint with 250m to go.
And what a sprint.
In one of the most exhilarating finishes of the year, Del Grosso dramatically faltered as Brennan approached, all power and speed, a flash of brilliant yellow amid the grey, rainy conditions.
Behind, Groves – one of the sport’s best sprinters in the world – couldn’t react. The final steep rise exploded Del Grosso’s legs, and Brennan burst through in the final ten metres for the biggest win of his career. And judging by that finish, we may have to get used to saying that.
“I think the weather made it quite tricky today. We did everything we could to keep our position near the front and minimise any losses. We knew the coast road towards the finish would be a critical point,” the 19-year-old said at the finish, a picture of calmness and maturity.
“I managed to get into position with a few guys around me, but in the end it was such a tricky situation to manage. You just had to go full gas, and I’m so happy it ended up like this.”
When asked whether he thought Del Grosso was about to pull a Schultz at the finish, he said: “I watched that stage last night, and once Alpecin went off the front I knew it was a replay from last year.
“So I just had to manage it and take responsibility, and it ended up the best we could have done from that scenario.”
Talk about taking responsibility – and when you’re just 19, mixing it with the big boys. A star was well and truly born today.
Right, where can I get the odds for the first yellow jersey of the 2027 Tour de France in Scotland?
“When we can’t afford to look after what we’ve got, why on earth are we building even more roads?” Transport Action Network criticises “depressing” new road schemes – and says more funding is required “to get our roads back into shape”
Keir Starmer’s announcement this morning that £1.6bn will be spent fixing Britain’s broken roads – pending some homework from local councils – hasn’t gone down too well with Transport Action Network, who say the amount pledged by Labour to tackle the country’s pothole problem is in in fact “one tenth of what’s required”.
The campaign group, which last year took the previous Conservative government’s decision to slash cycling and walking funding in England to the Court of Appeal, have also questioned Labour’s pledge to provide National Highways with £4.8bn to implement major road projects, “when we can’t afford to look after what we’ve got”.
“While extra funding for maintenance is always welcome, the amount pledged this year is less than one tenth that is required to get our roads and pavements back into shape,” TAN’s director Chris Todd said in a statement this afternoon.
“Will drivers really be celebrating saving £59 on fuel duty when they are suffering burst tyres and damaged suspension, higher insurance bills and more stressful journeys? Wouldn’t they rather pay a little more so that roads can be fixed properly, or for better alternatives?
“This makes the announcement of new road schemes equally depressing. When we can’t afford to look after what we’ve got, why on earth are we building even more?
“Repairing existing roads is far better for the economy, but unfortunately doesn’t present politicians with opportunities to dress up in high-viz and cut ribbons. Often just getting the basics right is better for taxpayers and boosting growth. Hopefully an integrated national transport strategy will help get these priorities right.”
Government tells councils to “prove” action on tackling potholes and fixing roads – or risk losing quarter of new funding boost
Next month, local authorities across England will begin to receive their share of the government’s £1.6bn highway maintenance funding, including an extra £500m – which Labour says is enough to fill seven million potholes a year.
However, in order to secure their full share, from today all local authorities will have to publish annual progress reports in order to “prove public confidence” in their work tackling the nation’s pothole problem.
The reports must be published by 30 June, detailing how much they are spending, how many potholes have been filled, what percentage of their roads are in different states of disrepair, and how they are minimising disruption.
Councils will also be required to show how they are spending more on long-term preventative maintenance programmes and by October must prove that they are enabling local communities to have their way on what work should be carried out.
According to Labour, if any councils fail to meet these conditions, 25 per cent of their promised funding will be withheld, potentially amounting to £125m across the country.
“The broken roads we inherited are not only risking lives but also cost working families, drivers and businesses hundreds – if not thousands of pounds – in avoidable vehicle repairs,” Primer Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.
“Fixing the basic infrastructure this country relies on is central to delivering national renewal, improving living standards, and securing Britain’s future through our Plan for Change.
“Not only are we investing an additional £4.8 billion to deliver vital road schemes and maintain major roads across the country to get Britain moving, next month we start handing councils a record £1.6 billion to repair roads and fill millions of potholes across the country.
“British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them. That ends with us. We’ve done our part by handing councils the cash and certainty they need – now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities.”
Meanwhile, transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “After years of neglect we’re tackling the pothole plague, building vital roads and ensuring every penny is delivering results for the taxpayer.
“The public deserves to know how their councils are improving their local roads, which is why they will have to show progress or risk losing 25 per cent of their £500m funding boost.
“Our Plan for Change is reversing a decade of decline and mending our pothole-ridden roads which damage cars and make pedestrians and cyclists less safe.”
Despite Alexander’s fleeting reference to cyclists, the government’s new policy package includes freezing fuel duty for drivers and providing £4.8bn for National Highways to implement major road projects and maintain the country’s motorways.
“But we’re the entitled snowflakes”: Cyclists baffled as right-wing group calls for Elon Musk DOGE-style clampdown on “unethical” cycling and walking charity Sustrans and its “taxpayer-funded, deeply unpopular, and undemocratic restrictions on motorists”
The Daily Telegraph may currently lead the way when it comes to consistent, confusing, and often hysterical attacks on all things cycling – including, most recently, the Cycle to Work scheme – but don’t worry, there are plenty of other contenders vying for the newspaper’s coveted anti-cycling crown.
Because, over the weekend, the right-wing campaign group Together launched a scathing assault on national active travel charity Sustrans, which it accused of using “jaw-dropping amounts of public money” to implement “deeply unpopular and undemocratic restrictions on motorists”.
In case you weren’t aware (lucky you), Together, or the Together Declaration, or #Together, is an ‘anti-authoritarian’, astroturfing movement established in 2021 by London businessman Alan Miller to protest the government’s lockdown and vaccine measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Supported by a range of political figures, including Brexit Party stalwart Lesley Katon and former Liberal Democrat MP and Cheeky Girls groupie Lembit Opik, the group has since turned its attention to climate change and net zero, organising protests against London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) and low traffic neighbourhood schemes across the UK.
In 2023, Together co-published a report with climate science denial group Climate Debate UK, featuring the balanced, extremely academic title ‘Clean Air, Dirty Money, Filthy Politics’, which argued that clean air policies “are not based on science, and are not democratic” (Oh, and the group also offers a £250-a-year ‘independence’ membership, which includes a #together t-shirt and “priority live event tickets”, whatever that means).
And now, Together has set its sights on its latest, ‘evil’, authoritarian target: cycling and walking charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network, Sustrans.
In November, we reported that the active travel charity could be set for “substantial” staffing cuts, after its budget was slashed by a third following government funding cuts and amid uncertainty over its financial future.
However, according to Together, all that wasn’t enough. Instead, the organisation claims that Sustrans is need of the kind of budget-slashing approach currently being implemented in the United States by Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – which is going swimmingly, of course.
In a rant, sorry article, titled ‘Public Money, But Whose Agenda? Sustrans a UK DOGE’s Dream’ and published at the weekend, Together wrote: “In the US, DOGE has exposed how many ‘Non-Governmental’ Organisations and civil groups receive public funds – only to lobby for policies the government bureaucracy already wants.
“In doing so, these unaccountable organisations provide a veneer of objectivity, and often the illusion of grassroots demand for certain policies. At the same time, they insulate politicians from the accountability that would be central to a healthy democracy.
“Ben Pile’s report for Together… showed how a handful of ‘green’ billionaires were massively funding questionable organisations.
“We should also be asking who our government is funding, and to what ends. For example, Sustrans – the charity that is very, very keen on cycling and ‘Active Travel’ (AKA restrictions on motorists) – is in receipt of jaw-dropping amounts of public money.”
The article goes on to point to the £93 million funding awarded to Sustrans from Transport Scotland, as well as the £3.5m it received in Wales between 2015 and 2022 (which last time I checked, isn’t an awful lot when it comes to the government over eight years).
“So what is the taxpayer getting for all this money?” Together asked.
“A LOT of cycle lanes by dint of narrowing roads is the first part of the answer. This while it’s apparently impossible to maintain the roads properly – the average repair bill for damage caused by potholes is now £144, while the Asphalt Industry Alliance calculates it would cost £16.81 billion to get the roads to an ideal condition.
“Sustrans’ history of being soaked in public money actually began with £42.5 million grant from the Millennium Commission to establish the National Cycle Network.
“Sustrans staff seem well-rewarded too – chief executive Xavier Brice gets at least £140,000 and four other senior Sustrans staff earn at least £100,000 a year.”
The group then argued that “the taxpayer is also supporting Sustrans to lobby government for deeply unpopular and undemocratic restrictions on motorists” by noting the group’s support for LTNs and 20mph zones (including the role played by Lee Waters, the former director of Sustrans Cymru, in implementing the lowered speed limits in Wales).
Musk vs the National Cycle Network? (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)
“All of this raises serious questions about the relationship between government and Sustrans,” Together continued.
“Why is an unelected, unaccountable charity having such an influence on public policy? Why is the taxpayer funding them to lobby for unpopular policies?
“Maybe it’s time for some DOGE-style activity in the UK… At Together, we’re calling time on this unethical state of affairs. It’s not acceptable for politicians to fund external groups for lobbying, particularly when those groups are pushing for unpopular policies that blight peoples’ lives.
“We’ve been campaigning vigorously against the attack on public mobility for some time, organising meetings with local communities and supporting them in their fight against unreasonable restrictions.
“We’ve had many successes, helping to get undemocratic LTNs up and down the land cancelled. Now we’re increasingly shining a light on the financial side of the problem, and how politicians are using public funds to impose their ideological agendas, wasting huge amounts of money that could be spent on things which actually benefit people.
“Often, they do so through dubious partnerships which conceal the real agenda, presenting policies as if they’ve come from local communities. And, as the contracts for Sustrans to promote Active Travel in schools illustrate, the taxpayer is being drained for this game.
“All this needs to be exposed. We need to create a situation where public money is spent wisely and well, in a transparent and accountable manner, in the interests of the people who provided it.”
Hmmm…
Unsurprisingly, Together’s lengthy diatribe against Sustrans hasn’t gone down too well with cyclists.
(credit: Sustrans)
“So, Sustrans is evil, apparently,” one cyclist told road.cc after reading the post. “It’s f*** all of f*** all.”
Referring to a local pro-motoring Facebook page in Dorset, which opposes anti-cycling infrastructure in the area, sharing the post, the cyclist continued: “I’ve just commuted six miles in the dark and wet and they’re whinging about improvements to a half-mile stretch.
“The council is about to introduce our first large 20mph zone, so their heads are about to explode so they were absolutely ready to believe any conspiracy theories!
“But we’re the entitled snowflakes…”
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Unfortunately (at least in the UK now) you just have to expect the unexpected around pedestrians *. Just slow down and be prepared for sudden odd moves - or indeed the opposite, people freezing when you "appear out of nowhere" (despite sporting hi-viz, daylight running lights, ringing bells / running spokey-dokeys...) Annoying but ultimately to your benefit as well as theirs... * And indeed drivers...
Your reminder also that "penalties as deterrents" for road crime is ... very questionable. For those affected - one is too many. But cyclist-caused deaths stand out by their rarity AND because we have normalised - well, minimized protests about - deaths due to motor vehicle drivers. How to stop deaths in the first place? You can't go wrong with a "sustainable safety" approach, instead of the UK's one which has leant heavily on reducing the number of vulnerable road users out and about and invoking the law as a backstop. While impossible to know why she stepped out here I suspect in cases like this one it is simply "not expecting cyclists" or "being unfamiliar with the speed cyclists can attain". And alas the only thing that really changes that is having *more* cyclists and enough "practical learning"...
Your reminder that there is nothing to stop cyclists being prosecuted for causing death by the manner of their riding - indeed there are (are they in use?) new laws on this. ...and indeed cyclists have been prosecuted and convicted. How *easy* this is - that's another thing. Hard to gauge given how uncommonly this occurs.
@the little onion Hit the deck because a pedestrian crossed the road while the light was green for road traffic. I shouted "watch out!", she froze then reversed while I was riding around her from behind. Bang! A pedestrian collided with me and my bike while crossing the road when it was forbidden. Crikey!
And there would be no discussion about "dangerous and speeding cyclists" which has yet to be defined.
Motivated - this is the mur Strava top 10 for men and women, times are not similar at all - Women top 10 - 3:48-4:07 Men top 10 - 3:04-3:14
She should be campaigning to teach pedestrians to look both ways before crossing, instead.
Having being quite badly bruised in an unavoidable collision with a pedestrian who ran out into the road without looking, as a cyclist I want a crackdown on those dangerous pedestrians who walk into roads without looking. The potential for fatalities goes both directions, on both pedestrians and cyclists.
So long as we have speed limits & culpability for ignoring "traffic signals" & the like (looking at you Gove) for pedestrians & horse riders too - might as well get ahead on things whilst we're at it & future proof this essential legislation before someone gets killed by one of them. Whilst we're at it, pedestrians should have registration numbers tattoed to their foreheads, be forced to wear hi-viz whenever outdoors & pay "road tax" to cover the cost of all that incredibly well designed (cough cough) pedestrian infrastructure that is clearly part of the "war on drivers," as well as the street lighting that the free loading swines take advantage of on a daily basis.
@Motivated When I look at the Mur de Huy segment on Strava I see the top male is at 3'4" while the top woman is at 3'48", which would land her 130th position in the men's. Very fast indeed but not that close.
23 thoughts on ““But we’re the entitled snowflakes”: Cyclists baffled as right-wing group calls for Elon Musk DOGE-style clampdown on “unethical” cycling and walking charity and its “taxpayer-funded, deeply undemocratic restrictions on motorists” + more on the live blog”
“We’ve been campaigning
“We’ve been campaigning vigorously against the attack on public mobility for some time, organising meetings with local communities and supporting them in their fight against unreasonable restrictions.”
This is precisely the argument that is made by cycling and walking organisations – the fact that it is a deeply hostile environment for anyone not driving a car (and plenty of drivers too). Why shouldn’t kids in my neighbourhood have the freedom to walk and cycle safely? Why should four lane main roads with 40mph yet routinely ignored limits, pavements blocked by cars, etc, be unreasonably restricting their freedom to travel.
Active travel measures aren’t a restriction on travel – they are the exact opposite. They empower people to travel.
Independent active mobility
Independent active mobility for children. Who wouldn’t want that? Especially people who’re concerned about … er … “unreasonable restrictions” on people’s mobility!
(Chris Boardman making this point, David Hembrow making this point, BicycleDutch blog showing the history of Dutch campaigning on this point, why are there more kids out and about in the Netherlands …)
And isn’t the modern mantra “more choice”? In which case fixing it so there is far better provision for modes other than the car is also the “progressive” thing to do.
Unelected pressure group
Unelected pressure group suggests that charities aren’t legitimate because they’re unelected.
Unelected pressure group is
Unelected pressure group is annoyed that a single purpose charity spends money on that single purpose.
TBF, coming at this from a
TBF, coming at this from a rather different political perspective I sort-of agree with the idea that government shouldn’t be funding charities like Sustrans; it makes no sense for anyone to spend money on lobbying themselves – if you’re in government you can just set the policies you want, that’s what being in government *is*, and the maintanence of the NCN shouldn’t be a charitable endevour any more than maintanence of the motorway network is – it’s national infrastructure and it should be treated like it, not as an optional extra reliant on donations and good will.
I’m sort of with you – but
I’m sort of with you – but the point is not just that “[developement and maintenance of active travel infra] shouldn’t be a charitable endevour any more than maintanence of the motorway network is” … but the government has not so much failed to do this as continued the choice made all those years back to throw our fortunes to the motor lobby and actively push for motor infra at the expense of other modes?
Also “government supporting charities doing (government’s) work” is a pretty common theme in the UK though. There are several areas where government hasn’t picked up a tab, charities filled the breach and then over the years that became a kind of semi-official thing. Examples (they’re all slightly different of course) include the RNLI (and possibly more recently Coast Watch?), Mountain Rescue, lots of the care sector etc.
I’d like it both ways – support for cycling as part of the normal boring bureaucracy (e.g. in the south maybe via expansion of Active Travel England, or even by the DfT (the horror) ) but also one or more strong national organisations on the outside. That’s still the case in The Netherlands where they have a cyclists’ union – which AFAIK is still outside government.
And yes – I would still keep a keen eye on Sustrans in general, though they seem to “get it” following some years of apparently “sign anything off to get ourselves close to government” (the problem with that strategy is government may bend you into their shape rather than you being able to influence from the inside)…
“Maybe it’s time for some
“Maybe it’s time for some DOGE-style activity in the UK”
That would be a load of youngsters with no experience or understanding trying to change something with no regard for consequences.
Any fool can slash costs with no regard for overall outcomes.
Will it also include showing savings of 8Bn when it’s only 8M?
I think it’s really for the
I think it’s really for the US (and good luck to them)… They may find they’ve swallowed a horse to catch a fly.
Voting for a billionaire who has acted like a mercurial mafia don or medieval ruler and replaced government officials with folks whose principle qualification is fealty, “corruption is being reduced” (to be fair, this isn’t a new concept in the US, just the scale and scope of it). Getting some more billionaires in to take charge of removing regulation (which in some part applies to their own business interests) is making everyone safer and wealthier.
Credit where it’s due – the major achievement of the cadre of (mostly US) tech businessmen has been selling us new online spaces which are locked down and principally for the benefit of e.g. advertisers spying on us. And (a bit like mass motoring) they’re selling it as providing freedom!
Have none of these folks (or their customers) seen “They Live“, or read 1984?
It’s important to look at
It’s important to look at doge’s failings when a handful of people/organisations in the UK think it is something to emulate.
Here’s another – children 11 and under are getting social security payouts. Yes, because they are now orphans; it’s not fraud.
Together We’re Wronger!
Together We’re Wronger!
Active travel = restrictions
Active travel = restrictions on motorists eh?
Whereas motoring presumably does not equal restrictions & marginalisation of (hard working, tax paying, patriotic) active travellers & non-drivists for some reason?
Together, take your head of your ar5e
some former(?) covid
They’re quite right but unfortunately over 100 years too late – they should have been doing this at the dawn of mass motoring! That has really blighted people’s lives. By now probably millions maimed and killed, poisoned by emissions, our nervous systems affected by the constant road noise. Trillions of pounds spend paving vast areas (which adds to our water run-off issues and heat island effects) and which become “hostile environments” to those outside motor vehicles. Parents becoming effectively jailers of their children because the risks from motor traffic. And of course – for those who are apparently cynical about “them” – another acelleration of centralising forces. So now even large towns have the “life drained out of them” – as they become dependent on centralised amenities.
The stupid is that the same
The stupid is that the same Telegraph readers who believe this bollocks, are the same types who complain that kids today are stuck inside all day playing console games. ‘In my day I played cricket in the street!’
Perhaps if you supported LTN’s and active cycling, you’ld see kids playing in the street again..
Though I’d guess they would then complain about the noise…
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Well, I guess it’s all in how you deliver it, right?
Well that explains the rash
Well that explains the rash of pot holes – it’ll be (immigrant?) leprechauns, digging for gold at the end of all those (Brexit? Woke?) rainbows.
“…..right-wing campaign
“So what is the taxpayer getting for all this money?” Much, much more than if they spent it on roads.
“…..right-wing campaign group Together…..” I think Apart might be a rather more appropriate name.
The right wing bullies are winning in the USA, with innocent people being locked up in concrete cells, lit 24/7, and they’re deporting them to El Salvador on the flimsiest of pretexts.
This story might sound ridiculous, and so is Trump, but he’s president. Be afraid.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/germany-investigates-after-national-with-green-card-arrested-at-us-border
“jaw-dropping amounts of
“jaw-dropping amounts of public money” to implement “deeply unpopular and undemocratic restrictions on motorists”.
If they think those amounts are jaw dropping, imagine their response to the money used (ie subsidies) for motorists…
“So what is the taxpayer getting for all this money?” Together asked.
“A LOT of cycle lanes…”
Someone needs to get their measure tape out and work out what percentage of the roads have usable safe cycle lanes compared to lanes for motor traffic.
They can also try to work out where the pothole damage is coming from (motor vehicles, not bicycles), its resultant costs and see if the road users who cause it are actually contributing enough to repair them…
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“Shave your tail!”
“Shave your tail!”
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I’m not entirely sure that the Orange One understands that concept. Pretty sure that he thinks that “the truth” is whatever he says it is, at any given moment. It doesn’t have to be consistent (“we’ve always been at war with Eurasia” (“we’ve always been allied with Eurasia”).
brooksby wrote:
He understands it: his social media site is called Truth Social or somesuch.
eburtthebike wrote:
He needs to tell his friends and relations to stop using Signal, anyway…
Or at the very least to RTFM.
TBH, this kind of stupidity
TBH, this kind of stupidity is best ignored. By publicly responding we’re giving them free publicity.